Healdsburg Unified swears in new trustees; board elects vice president after debate over seniority

Trustees Judy Velasquez and Donna Del Rey took the oath of office at the start of the meeting, and colleagues offered remarks thanking outgoing members and welcoming the newly elected trustees.

Trustee Mike Potmasil, participating by Zoom, and others praised outgoing leader Araceli Romo Flores for six years of service. Potmasil said the board must keep students at the center of its work: "Kids first," he told colleagues.

The board then moved to organizational items under the bylaws. Trustees debated whether the vice president should be selected by seniority or by a rotation practice that some members described as customary. Trustee Mike Potmasil argued seniority can create a perpetual advantage for the longest-serving trustee; other trustees said the longstanding rotation had worked for the board and asked staff to place a bylaws review on the January agenda.

After nominations were made, President Lopez Jimenez nominated Potmasil for vice president and a second was called. The board held a roll-call vote and approved the nomination. The board then confirmed that the superintendent will serve as the secretary of the board per board bylaws.

The board asked staff to return in January with clarifying language on officer rotation and the bylaws to avoid similar disputes in future organizational meetings.

The meeting adjourned with the new officer roster in place and a direction to agendize the bylaws question.